July Fourth safety tips, falling home prices and a closed boat ramp: 5 trending Austin stories

Since April, over 166 heat-related incidents in Austin had occurred as of June 21, said Robert Luckritz, chief of Austin-Travis County EMS. An average of 702 deaths occur each year nationally due to heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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2) City completes first Central Austin affordable apartment acquisitions

Austin's civic housing nonprofit has bought up several apartment complexes concentrated around Hyde Park in a move to preserve more than 200 affordable living spaces near the city center.

The Austin Housing Finance Corp., the strategic nonprofit overseen by City Council, on June 27 announced the purchase of a series of existing multifamily properties. The update came after council members first signed off on the housing portfolio acquisition in late 2022.

The purchase includes an office and seven separate apartment complexes in Hyde Park and Brentwood, each home to between 10 and 109 units. Overall, the grouping features a combined 234 apartments.

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3) Austin’s median home price drops over 16% in May

While Austin home prices are continuing to decline year over year after an abnormal spike in the market during the pandemic, affordability still remains a concern, the Austin Board of Realtors’ May report shows.

In May, the median home price in the city of Austin dropped 16.7% year over year to $550,000. The median home price in the Central Austin region also dipped about 8% year over year from $810,000 in May 2022 to $710,000 last month.

The ABoR’s report shows monthly housing inventory has continued to trend upward in Austin with 3.5 months on inventory last month compared to one month of inventory in May 2022 and 3.2 months of inventory in April. Housing inventory in the Central Austin region reached 4.9 months last month, a roughly 300% increase since last year.

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4) Mansfield Dam Park to close boat ramp June 30; 1 county ramp on Lake Travis remains

The boat ramp at Mansfield Dam Park will close June 30 due to low water levels in Lake Travis, according to a news release from Travis County on June 27.

Boat launching and pickup will no longer be permitted at Mansfield Dam Park after June 29. Boats already in the water planning to pick up passengers at the dam will still be allowed, the news release stated.

Following the closure of Mansfield Dam Park, Pace Bend Park’s boat ramp at Tournament Point will be the only open boat launch at a Travis County park on Lake Travis, according to the county.

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5) Austin ISD passes largest budget shortfall in 6 years to fund teacher raises

Austin ISD trustees approved a fiscal year 2023-24 budget with a projected $52.25 million shortfall during a board meeting June 22 that ran into the early morning hours of June 23. This is the largest budget shortfall approved since the 2017-18 school year.

After grappling with alternative solutions to reduce the shortfall since Chief Financial Officer Eduardo Ramos' budget presentation on June 2, trustees made the decision to move forward in adopting the proposed budget, with an adjustment to add $500,000 to add six athletic trainers to the district. Trustees also decided to circle back early this fall to approve an amended budget with the hope that the state will approve more money for the district—ideally an increase in basic allotments. According to sections 44.002 through 44.006 of the Texas Education Code, the superintendent is required to prepare a proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which must be adopted no later than June 30.

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